By MARY CLARE JALONICK and STEPHEN GROVES

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican senators will meet behind closed doors Wednesday to decide who will replace the longtime Senate leader. Mitch McConnell and lead their new majority next year — a move that could shape the future of the Senate and the party, as well as Donald Trump takes over the presidency.

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Florida Sen. Rick Scott vied for the most votes in the secret ballot election, promising new leadership in the vote. Senate even as they compete furiously for Trump’s favor. It will be the first test of Trump’s relationship with Congress after winning the election decisively and claiming a mandate for his agenda.

We don’t know who will win.

Thune and Cornyn campaigned primarily within the Senate, working with senators individually and privately and raising millions of dollars for Republican Senate candidates. Both quickly mobilized in March after McConnell announced he would step down from leadership.

Scott waged an insurgent campaign outside the Senate, campaigning publicly as Trump’s closest candidate and winning support from people close to the former and future president. Scott received a wave of support on X over the weekend as Trump allies, including Elon Musk, pushed his offer.

The choice of senators and whether Trump finally endorses a candidate in the final hours could set the tone for Trump’s attempts to assert his control over the legislative branch during his second presidency. His relationship with McConnell was strained during his first term, and Trump was often frustrated that lawmakers did not bend fully to his will.

Cornyn and Thune have grown closer to Trump in recent months after criticizing him as he attempted to overturn his electoral defeat in 2020. But the two longtime senators are both seen by their colleagues as institutionalists more in the McConnell mold, while Scott has worked to rally support outside the Senate and within Trump’s inner circle, to make pressure for an interior overhaul.

“A week ago we got the mandate that people want change,” said Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who is supporting Scott, as he headed to a forum for candidates Tuesday evening. “They want President Trump to have more leeway than last time. He was kind of a little attached.

Tuberville said that whichever candidate was chosen, he wanted to make sure Trump “feels good.”

Whoever wins, all three senators have shown they will defer to the new president as party leader and are willing to cede some Senate power to do so.

When Trump posted on Sunday the new leader “must agree” To allow him to appoint Cabinet members and others during Senate recess, thereby avoiding confirmation votes, all three quickly indicated they were open to the idea.

To select the new leader, Senate Republicans will meet privately in a ceremonial space in the Capitol for several hours to hear the candidates make their pitches. Few assistants are allowed to enter. The candidates will each be introduced and nominated by two other senators, then they will deliver their own speeches. Ballots are cast in secret. If no one obtains a majority in the first round, we move on to a second round, and so on, until someone obtains a majority of votes.

The club contest stands in stark contrast to that of the House, where lawmakers publicly announce their votes for president in a House election.

And aside from Scott’s challenge to McConnell two years ago, in which he won by 10 votes, this is the first competitive election for the Republican leader in three decades. McConnell, who has been a force for the party but has repeatedly clashed with Trump, was unchallenged when he first became party leader in 2007.

Unlike most previous contests, there is no clear favorite going into the election. Since senators vote by secret ballot, the majority will not say who they are voting for. And some may never say it.

“It’s a secret ballot and it’s not for nothing,” said South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds, who said early on that he would support his home state colleague Thune. “Each member chooses the leader they think they can work best with during this two-year period. »

Rounds said he preferred the way Thune and Cornyn had “handled it one-on-one with everyone,” but that he also talked to Scott. “We have three qualified people,” he said.

One thing all candidates agree on is change from McConnell, who took the lead as leader — a major demand of the far-right faction of the caucus that disagreed with McConnell on aid to Ukraine and increasingly turned against him as he feuded with Trump. .

Thune, Scott and Cornyn said they would like to see more opportunities for individual senators to introduce bills and offer amendments, and they pledged to be better communicators within the conference than McConnell, often reserved. At Tuesday night’s forum, the three men agreed on many of the issues discussed, according to senators who left the meeting.

Thune, McConnell’s current No. 2, has been seen by his colleagues as something of a starter, having taken over for several weeks last year when McConnell was out for medical reasons. He is well-liked by his fellow senators and was considered the front-runner in the race for a time. But Cornyn, who was McConnell’s No. 2 before Thune, is also well-liked and has gotten some commitments from his colleagues as well.

Thune and Cornyn are similar on policy, generally voting in line with the conference but sometimes working with Democrats. Cornyn is a longtime member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that made a decision leading role in bipartisan gun legislation two years ago. Thune worked across the aisle as former chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.